The middle aged shop owner was pale with terror, his voice breaking as he shouted, "Run, run! Lord Rolan, an Admiral is coming!"
By now, several residents had regained their senses. They scrambled to their feet and rushed toward their homes, panic etched into their faces as they hurried to gather whatever belongings they could carry. Escape was the only thought in their minds.
Everyone here knew the rule of the world of One Piece.
If a Celestial Dragon was harmed on an island, every living thing on that island would pay the price.
A nearby island had once offended a World Noble. The result was absolute annihilation. The land reduced to rubble, the people erased without mercy.
This time, it was worse.
A Celestial Dragon had been killed.
Not insulted. Not injured.
Killed.
If they did not flee now, there would be no second chance.
Amid the chaos, a man wearing royal robes and a jeweled crown pushed his way against the panicked crowd. Guards followed closely behind him, their armor clanking as they struggled to keep pace. He ran straight toward Rolan.
One glance was enough for Rolan to recognize him.
The king of this island.
Rolan's eyes narrowed slightly. A king appearing now could only mean one thing. An explanation was demanded. After all, this entire nation now stood on the edge of extinction because of what had just happened.
Yet when the king reached him, instead of shouting or questioning, he dropped to his knees.
Rolan raised an eyebrow.
Before he could speak, the king's trembling voice rang out.
"Lord… Lord Rolan. I have finally met you."
Rolan paused, faint surprise crossing his otherwise indifferent face. "You were waiting for me?"
The king lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming down his weathered face.
"Thank you," he said hoarsely. "Thank you for avenging my daughter."
Rolan lifted a hand and lightly pulled the king back to his feet. "Explain."
The king's composure shattered completely.
"It was Saint Zelensky," he sobbed. "He took my daughter."
His hands clenched into fists as he continued, voice shaking. "I am her father. But I am also a king. I bear the weight of an entire country. I could only watch as he dragged her away."
"She was taken to Mary Geoise," the king whispered. "She was twelve years old."
Snot and tears ran freely down his face as he spoke.
"Every day, every moment, I wanted to kill him with my own hands. But he was a Celestial Dragon, a World Noble. And I was nothing more than a king ruling over ants."
His voice dropped lower, filled with despair.
Around them, the citizens who had been preparing to flee slowly stopped. One by one, they turned back, listening in silence.
They understood his pain.
Hatred burned in their hearts, but the Celestial Dragons were like an unmovable mountain pressing down on them. Resistance was impossible.
"This time he returned," the king continued, lifting his head. His eyes were no longer filled only with grief, but with fury. "He asked me if I still had another daughter."
"He said my daughter brought him great joy."
The king laughed, a broken, hollow sound.
"He told me she survived for a whole month before she died. He said she lasted longer than any of his other slaves."
"Hahahaha… what could I do?" The king's shoulders shook. "I told him it was my honor that my daughter pleased him."
Slap.
"Haha."
Slap.
"Haha!"
He struck his own face again and again, each sound echoing through the street.
"I am a useless father," he cried. "My enemy stood before me, and all I could do was smile."
Rolan listened in silence.
For the first time, his understanding of the Celestial Dragons deepened beyond contempt.
Nami's hands trembled at his side, her fingers clenched tightly into fists. She had heard stories of the World Nobles before, but seeing the consequences with her own eyes made her stomach churn.
The surrounding citizens wiped away their tears.
Their princess had not gone on a journey.
She had been stolen.
Tortured.
Played with until she died.
The girl they had loved and cherished had been crushed beneath the cruelty of a Celestial Dragon.
Fear turned into hatred.
"Good kill!"
"That Zelensky deserved to die!"
"Thank you, Lord Rolan, for avenging our princess!"
"These Celestial Dragons should be wiped out from the world!"
Anger surged through the crowd, unified and raw. If Zelensky's corpse still lived, they would have torn it apart themselves.
The king fell to his knees once more.
"Lord Rolan," he begged. "Please protect my country. I will give anything. My people are innocent."
"Please."
Rolan looked down at him.
Then he spoke, his voice calm and absolute.
"Fine. I accept."
---
"What?!"
"Rolan killed Saint Fox Biden, Saint Zelensky, and Saint Raymondo!"
Sengoku's temple throbbed violently as the report reached his desk. His anger was not solely directed at Rolan.
It was because he knew what awaited him next.
The fury of the Five Elders.
This was already the second time Rolan had killed Celestial Dragons.
And this time, it happened in Paradise, under Marine jurisdiction.
Accountability was unavoidable.
"Summon Kizaru immediately," Sengoku barked. "Order Sakazuki to divert to Durutol Island at once. Inform Kuzan his vacation is over. All of them are to move together."
Not long after, Kizaru's tall, lazy figure appeared in the Marshal's office.
"Marshal Sengoku," Kizaru drawled, "I am on vacation. Why call me back so suddenly?"
"Go to Durutol Island and stall Rolan," Sengoku said firmly.
Kizaru blinked. "Rolan came back to Paradise?"
"He killed the Biden family on Durutol Island," Sengoku replied grimly.
"Kowai ne," Kizaru muttered, eyes widening slightly behind his sunglasses. "He killed Celestial Dragons again?"
Rolan was supposed to be in the New World. Yet he had returned to Paradise and immediately slaughtered three World Nobles.
Terrifying.
Still, Kizaru hesitated.
"Marshal Sengoku," he said slowly, "I cannot stop him alone."
"I am not asking you to defeat him," Sengoku replied. "Just delay him. Do not let him leave the island."
Kizaru spread his hands. "Even that is risky."
"Sakazuki and Kuzan are on their way," Sengoku said. "They will support you."
Kizaru sighed. "Then I will go."
After he left, Sengoku picked up the Transponder Snail again.
Soon, it transformed into the face of an old man.
"Hahahaha! Sengoku, what is it? I am on vacation, trying to break my senbei eating record."
"Garp," Sengoku snapped, "your vacation is over. Go to Durutol Island immediately."
The snail froze.
A snot bubble slowly formed.
Sengoku's eye twitched.
"Garp!!!"
Pop.
"Huh? Is it morning already?" Garp muttered. "Is it time for breakfast?"
Sengoku clenched his fists. Between the Five Elders above him and the chaos beneath him, being Fleet Admiral was exhausting.
"Rolan returned to Paradise and killed Celestial Dragons," Sengoku said sharply. "Get to Durutol Island now."
"Oh," Garp replied casually. "If Celestial Dragons died, they died."
"Vice Admiral Garp," Sengoku roared, "this is an order!"
Before Garp could reply, Sengoku slammed the snail shut.
---
High above the sea, Kizaru floated lazily through the air, light shimmering around him as Durutol Island slowly came into view.
"Why is it always me who gets the dangerous jobs?" he muttered.
After a pause, he smiled faintly.
"I will take it slow. Let Sakazuki and Kuzan arrive first."
"I hope they survive."
---